Inmates In The Garden: Feeding Philadelphia's Hungry

An unlikely partnership between community gardeners and local prison inmates will help feed the over one fifth of the city living below the poverty line.

1 minute read

May 1, 2006, 7:00 AM PDT

By David Gest


The "...innovative new program started earlier this month by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society [is] called City Harvest, which will provide a small but steady stream of free and fresh produce to Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods."

"The program is linking [one inmate], who works in a greenhouse with four other inmates in the prison system's job-training program, with 21 of the city's community gardens and a network of about 15 food cupboards in neighborhoods like Fairhill, Allegheny West, Poplar and Yorktown. The ultimate goal is to funnel about 7,000 pounds of fresh lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes and other produce to families in each of the next two growing seasons."

Thursday, April 27, 2006 in Philadelphia City Paper

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